Letting Everything Go

God has discussed the end of physical existence with us in His Word at various points, with 2 Peter 3:10-13 being especially significant. There, God does not just predict the end; He speaks through Peter to reveal how everything will end, even though the when remains a secret (Matt. 24:36). The process of the end of physical existence is described by God as a moment when everything will be untied or released from its bonds, along with a whole lot of fire.

The fire is easy to spot in 2 Peter 3:10-13. The elements will have intense heat applied to them, the earth and its works will be burned up, and even the heavens are described as burning on the day of the Lord. The presence of a kind of fire is supported by Scriptures such as 2 Thessalonians 1:7, which declares that Jesus will be “revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire” on that day. But burning is not the only thing occurring in 2 Peter 3:10-13. There is also a releasing or an untying of every bond holding physical things together.

While the English words used in translations differ, the manuscripts show various forms of luo, a Greek word that carries a basic meaning of loose, untie, or release. The tenth verse says the elements themselves, the most basic building blocks of every physical thing, will be untied; they will have their bonds released. When that happens, everything ceases to hold together. Nothing physical remains as it is this day. The twelfth verse says the heavens, burning, will be untied; they will not be bound any longer. The tenth verse is exceptionally clear: all things are to be untied, released, in this way. By inspiration, Peter proclaims that all physical things have an inevitable future: they will be untied, released from all the bonds that hold them, and no longer be.

God has given the world this information so that all people will live holy and godly lives, looking forward to the day when the physical is untied and something new, a new heavens and new earth, takes its place.